Agra police search for Japanese missing since 2006

Lucknow, July 5 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government has sought a report from the police about the status of a Japanese student who went missing from Agra two years ago. “Written instructions have been issued to submit the report in a week’s time”, a home department official told IANS.

Kota Shinozaki of Saitama city in Japan came to Delhi on a 22-day tour Sep 2, 2006, with plans to visit Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi and Kolkata.

According to the Delhi Police records, Kota, who was 21 when he went missing, engaged a tour operator to prepare an itinerary and reached Agra Sep 5.

The records state: “He checked in at hotel Chanakya and went out to visit tourist spots the same evening. Kota is missing since the intervening night of Sep 5 and 6.”

Kota’s father Shigeru Shinozaki and mother Eiko have made many desperate visits to India and pleaded for police help to trace their son.

The couple insisted before the police that Kota was a good student and a responsible person, police sources said.

The sources said the couple who came to meet the police and government officials rubbished newspaper reports describing Kota as a drug addict.

The Agra police is investigating the case since November 2006 but has made little progress.

“Some sources say he went out alone with his backpack around 7 p.m. on that day, while some others say his cab driver accompanied him.” Baldhari Singh, inspector of the Agra Sadar Police Station, told IANS on phone.

“We also conducted a narco analysis test and brain-mapping of the driver, Raju, and another staff of that hotel sometime ago but the reports are still awaited,” he said.

Inespector general of police (Agra) Gurbachan Singh said they hoped to solve the case soon. “We are gathering all possible information and the investigations are on in full swing,” he claimed.